New Film FOOD CHAINS…not to miss!
A new documentary film, FOOD CHAINS is coming soon to a theater near you, beginning NOVEMBER 21st If you are interested in farm worker ...Great Summer Opportunity! Global Social Innovation Fellowship
Duke University’s Global Policy and Governance summer program combines internships with socially innovative organizations in Geneva and ...FOOD! Don’t miss the 2014 Downtown Lecture Series October 15-November 12
This year’s 2014 Downtown Lecture Series is on FOOD! Kick off lectures is, “Changing Geographies of Food” by Dr. Diana Liverman on Oc ...Looking for resources related to social justice public policy?
Anne Larason Schneider, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the College of Public Programs at Arizona State University, provides Legi ...What do unions and cooperatives have in common?
In 2009 the United Steel Workers (USW) collaborated with Mondragon Cooperatives, the world’s largest worker-owned cooperative, to start ...New Democracy Collaborative report on policies effective at revitalizing communities
The Democracy Collaborative report offers a representative survey of some key emerging best practices in state and local policy-making ...Leveraging the cooperative advantage for women’s empowerment and gender equality
The International Labour Organization’s Co-operative Branch and the World of Work Series have put out two new briefs on Gender Equalit ...BALLE is coming to Phoenix next summer!
What is BALLE? Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. Not your run of the mill business alliance, their mission is localism an ...
Welcome to Social Economy Arizona (SEAZ), an on-line hub designed to raise awareness about the concept, history and theory of the social economy in the United States, with the specific aim of promoting its identity and growth within Arizona and the American Southwest —humblerise.com. Built collectively to foster knowledge and collaboration among a wide variety of community stakeholders, from University students and faculty to political and social entrepreneurs and activists, the key purpose of SEAZ is to combine scholarship on the social economy with personal and community action that transcends the academy.
The social economy includes individuals and organizations such as cooperatives, mutual benefit societies, associations, and social enterprises, which provide goods, services, and information to communities with the aim of generating both economic productivity and social solidarity.
In the video above, Vanna Gonzales, Professor of Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University’s School of Social Transformation talks with graduate student Carrie Bauer about the social economy. In addition to talking about its relevance for Arizona, Dr. Gonzales introduces the key goals of SEAZ.
Key Concepts Linking the Social Economy to Community Development:
- Social Innovation: linking technological and organizational innovations to social initiatives, processes and products to catalyze more dynamic social systems
- Economic Justice: fostering sustainable development to promote social solidarity and a more equitable distribution of productive enterprise
- Collective Welfare: promoting social inclusion and economic well-being through cooperative governance practices aimed at curbing the unfettered rule of the market
Social Economy Arizona includes a wide variety of content linking research and practice in areas that connect the social economy to community development, including but not limited to the following:
- Articles, reports and videos related to the concept, history and theory of the social economy, including key areas of research, conferences, blogs, and journal outlets.
- Financial, legal and organizational resources available to support social economy organizations. A comprehensive introduction to developing and sustaining cooperatives.
- Specialized support for activities relating to food and urban agriculture; affordable housing and community action; fair trade, recycling and reuse retail; and social policy and human services.
- A list of support organizations relevant for capacity and alliance-building.
- Maps of social economy organizations in Northern, Central and Southern Arizona as well as similar mapping projects around the globe.
- Ongoing news concerning relevant opportunities and events happening locally, regionally and nationally